Hinder, Red, Kopek, & Royal Bliss [review]

May 8, 2011
Buster's Billiards and Backroom

Buster's brought the rock to Lexington, Kentucky once again on Sunday, May 8 with a party of a show that featured fresh music from fresh bands Royal Bliss and Kopek, road veterans Red, and the kings of outta control rock show parties, Hinder.



Royal Bliss

Royal Bliss, an up-and-coming band from Salt Lake City, kicked off the night. The venue was still pretty empty at the start of their set, but they played their hearts out to the small die-hard crowd that was there for the long-haul. Their tight set was full of solid rock songs, including a new one about love makin’ called “I Got This”.  The stage show wasn’t wild with tons of jumping and running, but the music was good and the show was entertaining and a great start to the evening.

Kopek

Kopek got their set off to a start with “Fever” and set the tone for what would be an awesome show. Ripping guitars, a beat that kicked with a rockin' slow groove, and the raw but seductive vocals got the crowd ready from the start.
 The band hails from Ireland and have only been in the US a year, singer Daniel Jordan said, but their song “Cocain Chest Pains” has already garnered a good amount of attention and radio play. Jordan was a tiny little Irishman, but had a raw, rough voice and a scream that he used just enough.  Bassist Brad Kinsella never stopped moving, and just helped to raise the level of energy that the band was giving to the crowd and filling the room with.

The tribute to all their musical heroes, “Rock is Dead”, came later in the set and featured a wildly fun vibe that got the crowd dancing like crazy. The timing of the song was perfect- Just as the booze was kicking in, the crowd was getting loose and ready to dance and party, and that song just pushed their adrenaline (and buzz) even higher. The band let loose with their closing song, “Cocain Chest Pains”  and it was a killer ending to a killer set from a band that is destined to soon be a big force in rock. 
 

 

RED

If there was ever a band that epitomized the word underrated, it is RED. These Nashville boys have the talent and style that should have led them to be so much bigger than they are now, and it seriously blows my mind RED isn't one of modern rock's biggest entities. They have it all: a high caliber of musicality, an intense stage show, and even the look of straight-up rock stars. 

Their set at Buster's was packed with strong, hard rocking songs, but really came to it's pinnacle with the songs "Breathe Into Me" and "Death of Me." The crowd sand along to every word, and the band was giving back just as much energy as the crowd was feeding to them. 

Singer Michael Barnes spent the show running about the stage, in rock star poses that must have been a photographer's dream to shoot. Guitarist and bassist Anthony and Randy Armstrong and drummer Joe Rickard played steadily with a serious intensity, and together the band formed a maelstrom of Jesus-loving rock.

RED's set was mind-blowing, face-melting, and -insert any other adjective for completely awesome here-. Several unfortunate people may have shown up at the show not knowing who RED was, but it was guaranteed that after the amazing performance that night, no one left without a permanent memory of a truly great band.   

Hinder

By the time that Hinder finally hit the stage, the house was packed and the huge crowd was more than warmed up and ready for Hinder and their All American Nightmare.

  The show started off in the same way the new album does, with the low and slow intro of "2 Sides of Me" that slams into the growl of singer Austin Winkler's vocals, drumming and hair slinging of Cody Hanson, bass by Mike Rodden, and guitars by Mark King and Blower (who, as a side note, i decided that night that i was completely and totally in love with--Blower, i love you. call me). 

The band powered through the majority of All American Nightmare, playing favorites such as "What You Gonna Do" and "Put That Record On". Older hits, like the infamous "Lips of an Angel" also had spots on the set list, taking the audience on a roller coaster ride from the upbeat songs that made everyone dance like crazy to slower jams that brought the mood to a more mellow level. 

Those slower down times never lasted long, though, before Winkler and the boys kicked it through the roof again. The highlight of the show, though, came in the encore. That's when Hinder busted out their most noted-for song, "Get Stoned" as well as a fan favorite from Nightmare, "Bad Mutha F****". During it, the band pulled out the acoustics (even the drummer, who had a Cajon drum box that he sat on and played) and had an intimate sing along with a few hundred of their friends. The song was absolutely hilarious, and a real treat to hear it live. Winkler was noticeably ashamed (as he probably should be) and bewildered at the amount of love that the song got, but he and the rest of the boys seemed to have a blast playing it live.     

As usual, Hinder put on one hell of a show, exactly what you would expect from guys who seem like they are living the rock-n-roll dream, or as they put it, an all American nightmare.